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Who Is Generation X? Stories For A Lost Generation

Greetings! My name is Jennifer. I’m glad you’ve come here to learn just who is Generation X, the latchkey generation. Did you know we were originally called Baby Busters? That was before older generations referred to us as slackers! Read on to learn more about the 13th Generation of Americans born between 1961 and 1981.

Who Is Generation X? A Definition

In this article you’ll learn the definition of Generation X and discover its years, size and characteristics including major, defining events like divorce, latchkey kids, the Berlin Wall and the Cold War. You’ll also learn about cultural touchstones like big hair and John Hughes films. There are nearly 2,000 posts on this blog. If you are looking for information about Generation X you have come to the right place.

Generation X, by broadest definition, includes those individuals born between the early 1960s and the early 1980s. The collective persona of Gen Xers is frequently debated and discussed among academics and marketing experts worldwide. The term traditionally applies to North Americans (United States and Canada); Australia; England; Ireland and various other European countries.

Today, there are well over 50 million members of Generation X. We are sometimes referred to as Baby Busters because our birth years follow the baby boom that began after World War II. That boom began to decline in 1957 and was further hastened by FDA approval of oral contraceptives in 1960. By 1965, 6.5 million women were on “the pill”, and in 1973, abortion was legalized. Please read A Nameless, Unlucky Generation.

What Years Are Generation X?

The years for Generation X vary among historians, government agencies and marketing firms. I pretty much stick to 1961 to 1981. Here’s how a few others break it down.

Neil Howe and the late William Strauss defined the generation in the broadest terms I have come across: 1961 to 1981. They wrote this book, 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail? about Xers. It’s available on Amazon and I highly recommend it.

The United States Social Security Administration defines Generation X as “those born roughly between 1964 and 1979.

Another federal agency, the U.S. Department of Defense, sets the parameters at 1965 to 1977.

George Masnick of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies sets the Baby Buster years at 1965 to 1984.

Primarily, generations stem from shared experiences. Depending on your birth order, the area of the country where you grew up and other influences, you may identify with one generation more than another. That is perfectly fine. All of this is subjective. It’s worth noting the simple definition of a generation found at Dictionary.com.

The entire body of individuals born and living at about the same time…

The term of years, roughly 30 among human beings, accepted as the average period between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.

A group of individuals, most of whom are the same approximate age, having similar ideas, problems, attitudes, etc. (Compare Beat Generation, Lost Generation, etc.)

A group of individuals belonging to a specific category at the same time…

Ultimately, opinions vary on when generations begin and end. You must decide for yourself where you belong. In my opinion, people should claim the generation whose collective persona most reflects their own life experiences.

Who is Generation? Breakfast Club Watercolor | DJayK on Etsy

Generation X Ages | How Big Is Generation X?

The age range for Generation X as of 2016 is 35 to 55 (my broadest definition). In 2011, the first Gen-Xer turned 50 years old and the youngest turned 30. We are currently the “sandwich generation” in America. We are caring for aging parents and raising more than 50 percent of the nation’s children under 18.

According to Douglas Coupland, author of Generation X: Tales of an Accelerated Culture, Generation X was born during the single most anti-child phase in American history. In the early 1960s, the birth control pill became widely available, and in 1973, abortion was legalized. These are two factors that are said to have contributed to the generation’s low numbers. According to Jeff Gordinier, in his book, How Generation X Got the Shaft, But Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking, Baby Boomers number 76 million and Millennials, 80 million. Generation X is sandwiched between them with 46 million. This is expertly challenged, however, by the 2010 Census, which puts the total U.S. population around 311.8 million.

The following numbers are for everyone over 18. These individuals collectively represent 236.8 million Americas.

G.I. (born 1901-1924), 4.5 million

Silent (born 1925-1942), 26.2 million

Baby Boomer (born 1943-1960), 65.6 million

Generation X (born 1961-1981), 88.5 million

Generation Y (born 1982-2001) 18+, 52.0 million

Two-thirds of the remaining 75 million are Gen Y who are under 18

The remaining one-third (25 to 30 million) is Generation Z.

So, why do we hear that Generation X is so small when the numbers tell a different story? That’s a great question with a relatively simple answer: immigration.

Characteristics of Generation X

When it comes to generations, characteristics and traits are often referred to as the collective persona. Not everyone buys into generational theory and some accuse historians, marketers and social scientists of stereotyping people. I am not one of these people. I love the book, Generations, by Neil Howe and the late William Strauss. These historians came up with a “bold and imaginative” theory that is based on recurring generational cycles in American history. That history began in 1584. This theory is difficult to summarize, and I couldn’t do it justice even if I tried. A brief overview of the framework, however, may inspire you to check their book out of your local library.

Basically, the historians maintain that generations fall into one of four archetypes and occur in one of four cycles that go on repeating themselves. The archetypes are prophet, nomad, hero, artist and the cycles are high, awakening, unraveling and crisis. Everything they’ve written about Generation X has been spot-on for me. Others may see it differently. With that, here are some of the stereotypical traits of Generation X. Keep in mind, much of this persona was fleshed out in the 1980 and 90s. Today, Xers are in or approaching middle age and a different persona has emerged.

Adrift, Apathetic, Cynical

In youth and childhood, Generation X was often described as being adrift. The archetype of loner emerged. In reality, members, especially young men, were disenfranchised by a loss of familial support and later technology. Think: Video Games. In adulthood, the introspective, disconnected Gen-Xer has re-engaged through social media. We’ve discovered that our stories aren’t unique. In fact, the narratives are strikingly similar. Facebook is dominated by Generation X and through millions of status updates we’ve discovered our shared history, our shared secrets.

Many Gen-Xers distrust authority and large institutions including corporations, religious institutions and the government. The following is a list of historical events that occurred during Generation X’s coming of age, which contributed to the Gen-Xer-As-Cynic stereotype.

The Energy Crisis of the 1970s

Watergate

Iran Contra (1980s)

Nuclear Disasters including Three-Mile Island

Silkwood/Kerr McGee

Union Carbide and Chernobyl

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Widespread Layoffs of the 1980s

Dot Com Boom and Bust of the 1990s

Corporate Greed

Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal

In more recent years, the Great Recession has underscored and validated that cynicism. It was Generation X, not Gen Y that founded Occupy Wall Street.

Entrepreneurial

A lot of Gen Xers struggled to find jobs after college. According to a report by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the year my husband graduated from college (1988), there was a sharp rise in joblessness among college-educated men age 24 and under. (It rose from 4.8 to 7.9.) This trend continued until 1991.

The situation wasn’t much better for Gen X women. Thus, many Gen Xers roamed aimlessly after college, unable to secure what they believe a Bachelor’s degree entitled them to: A job — or at least something more than a McJob. To make matters worse, the student loans that Generation X used to finance college, were loaned at much higher rates than what Baby Boomers were afforded. For example, my sisters, who are eight and 10 years older than me, got 3-percent loans. My loans, however, were 8 percent. The cost of a college education was higher for Generation X and the jobs were scarce. When you did find one, you couldn’t make enough money to make your loan payments. So we deferred them or defaulted on them. It was all so very messy. People talk about Millennials and the student loan crisis, but it began way before they ever signed their first promissory note.

Hardworking

Xers are reportedly the hardest working generation in the workforce — the “workhorses of America.” Longtime, mid-level careerists are finally ascending to the corner office and their no-nonsense leadership will bring refreshing changes to the workplace. This includes greater workplace flexibility and an ability to understand the needs of a multi-generational workforce better than anyone.

Reality Bites

Many of the aforementioned problems are among the themes explored in the iconic Generation X movie Reality Bites. Janeane Garafalo plays a college graduate working as a sales associate at The Gap. In addition to making Winona Ryder the darling of her generation, the film helped nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of Generation X. In fact, famous Gen X entrepreneurs include the founders of Google, Twitter and Amazon.

Unfortunately, the movie also helped nurture a negative stereotype of Generation X: The Slacker who lives in his parents basement well into adulthood. This image is one of the reasons many Gen Xers distanced themselves from identifying with their generation.

Today, younger Gen Xers take more pride in the Gen X label than older Xers who endured the original stereotype. In fact, “Generation X” pretty much remained a pejorative until Millennials began receiving an insane amount of media coverage around 2012.

Educated, Ethnically Diverse, Individualistic

Compared to the generations that came before us, Generation X is a highly-educated generation of Americans. More than 60 percent of Gen-Xers have attended college at one time or another.

Generation X grew up without segregation. They grew up loving Different Strokes and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. These cultural influences contributed to a generation that is more accepting and more inclusive of others. Generation X has long embraced diversity. Moreover, Hip Hop is widely recognized as the music born of Generation X.

We also pride ourselves in being individualistic. Our mothers worked and our fathers left. Perhaps for you it was the other way around. Either way, divorce was a major factor in the developing resourcefulness, independence and self-sufficiency of Generation X. Autonomy was a consequence of unstable childhoods. Interestingly, the lack of coddling in childhood has created a generation of parents who coddle their kids’ every whim. This over compensation is frequently defined as over-parenting. (More on Gen-Xers as parents below.)

Casual Disdain for Everything, Authority

Generation X has often been criticized for a snarky and casual disdain for authority. In the workplace, they want freedom coupled with responsibility and they hate being micromanaged. This has created decades of conflict between Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. The American workforce is an interesting state of transition right now because every day thousands of Baby Boomers retire.

Technologically Astute, Flexible

Gen-Xers have come of age during an interesting time in the world. They remember rotary dial phones and the explosion of mobile technology. They remember Liquid Paper and plunking out term papers on typewriters. They grew up in a world without social media, and yet have adapted to it – even invented it – exquisitely. A frien who works in IT explained this so well with the following quote. “I prefer this disposition in life over being from the past and moving to the future. Or being from the future and wondering about the strangeness of the past.”

Maybe it was our turbulent childhoods, but Generation X has proven highly adaptable to change. We saw our parents lose so many jobs. As a result, we remained committed to making whatever changes were necessary in order to get ahead. This has contributed to Generation X being viewed as disloyal to employers or uncommitted to jobs. In reality, Gen-Xers are committed to their own survival.

Work-Life Balance

Gen-Xers value work-life balance. How else could we coach soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring all while serving as Boy Scout Troop leader? Gen-Xers value work-life balance because they know the job you sacrifice everything for might not be there tomorrow. Why give it all and lose your family in the process?

Unprotected Childhood: Latchkey Generation

Generation X was born during the greatest anti-child phase in modern American history. Our childhoods were underscored by the following:

Legalized Abortion (Roe vs. Wade)

Invention of Birth Control

Divorce

Absent Fathers

Working Mothers

Latchkey Kids

For more about latchkey kids, I invite you to read a post I wrote about the Latchkey Generation.

Generation X Historical Events

Generation X and The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended racial segregation in schools. Generation X in its entirety was raised in schools that were racially diverse. In 2010, a Florida newspaper ran an article about Generation X being the first “colorblind” generation.

Other key historical events are listed under cultural touchstones portion of this article. They include nuclear events like Three Mile Island, the Gulf War, the Cold War, the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the Berlin Wall.

Divorce, Working Moms, Latchkey Kids Shape Generation X

From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, divorce rates in the United States more than doubled. In addition, between 1969 and 1996, the number of working mothers in the workforce also doubled. Consequently, many households were headed by working single moms. It’s estimated that as many as 40 percent of Gen Xers were latchkey kids who returned home from school to empty houses. Their childhoods and youth were marked by a lack of supervision, and excessive household and family responsibilities.

Rushed Through Childhood

The pendulum swings wide on the consequences of the latchkey childhood. Unsupervised Gen X children and youth ran the gamut of those who watched too much TV and didn’t do their homework to those who fell into escalating levels of crime. According to Coupland, inwardly-focused Baby Boomers sometimes regarded their children as “obstacles to their self-exploration,” and thus resulted permissive parenting of grand proportion. In addition, on top of spending many hours bored and lonely, Coupland also concludes that Generation X was “rushed through childhood.”

Today, the number of latchkey kids has declined. In 2000, Generation X parents along with school administrators helped to get federal legislation passed, which provided seed money for after school tutoring programs in lower income schools. Generation Xers understand firsthand how dangerous the hours between 3 to 6 p.m. can be for children.

Generation X, The Cold War and Terrorism

Pretty much everything I have to say about Generation X and the Cold War is summarized in a radio commentary I wrote in September 2011. Also, you may be interested in some of these posts. Search the Cold War tag to find all these posts:

5 world views shaped by sesame street and the Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall film premiers on PBS [The Wall – A World Divided]

Thawing of Cold War Precipitated Hundreds of Base Closures

4 examples of cold war culture that shaped our fear of Russia

My Perestroika and the Rise of Soviet Nostalgia

Click this link to see the war infographic I created to features all the wars and conflicts since the birth of Generation X. It starts in 1961 and goes up to 2012.

Protests

Finally, for additional information on events of historic significance, read 5 Forgotten Protests of Generation X. They include Love Canal, Earth Day 1990 and protests against apartheid.

Boys to Men

I have written many posts about Gen X men over the years including a post in 2015, Why Are Gen X Men Dying? Please read this post. It’s so important and nobody really talks about it.

Generation X Parents

During childhood, Generation X became the most unprotected generation in modern history. There were no after-school programs when we were growing up. Our families were broken by divorce and addiction. Sexual abuse was rampant and largely unchecked. These terrible experiences birthed a generation of helicopter parents. Over-parenting is the norm among Gen-Xers. (We wrote the book on extreme kid birthday parties.) The downside of all this is obvious, but the upside is found in something Tami Erickson said about Generation X. She called us the most devoted parents in American history. I loved that.

Books on Gen X

Cultural Touchstones of Generation X

This article is an ongoing project and I would love to have your help. I’m always adding to the following list of cultural touchstones. Who is Generation X to you? If you have an idea or contribution please leave me a note or send me an email or Facebook message. You may also want to check out a fun infographic I created about the sordid parade characters Generation X grew up with. Click here to see My Confusing Life, a spin on My So Called Life.

Boom Boxes followed by Walkmans –They gave us the ability to make our music “mobile”

The word ALTERNATIVE — Applied to everything from people, music, clothes and more.

Just Say No to Drugs Campaign

Microwaves and the Explosion of Fast Food Chains

Dance Aerobics and the Fitness Movement

Cable TV and Satellite –The expansion of television from just a few channels to a few hundred! Remember when the weather impacted reception? We were always adjusting the antennae. “Just a little more to the right,” my dad would say as I stood in front of the TV trying to get the clearest picture. Also, who can forget the excitement of waiting for Saturday morning cartoons?

VHS and Video Stores — Weekends started with a trip to the video store. The whole family debated and negotiated what to movie to rent. (Be kind. Rewind.)

Xennials and Generation Jones

Sometimes, you’ll hear about Generation Jones, a micro-generation between Boomers and Generation X. Gen Jones was born between 1954 and 1965. There are also the Xennials, another micro-generation born between 1977 and 1984.

I was born in 1967. I feel for the most part, I had a great childhood, great teen years in the 80s and pretty good young adult years in the late 80s and 90s. Was it all a bed of roses, of course not, but as a whole, I am not complaining. I remember the freedom I had as a kid, playing outside, playing in the woods, riding my bicycle(which I rode it until it fell apart) all over the neighborhood. I played outside until dark most days, especially Saturdays. I remember a time with no cell phones, thus no texting, etc. If you wanted to talk to someone, you either called them, or got on your bicycle and rode to their house. I, like many in my generation, lived for Saturday morning tv. I as a Gen Xer have no problem with the Baby Boomers, so I resent Ernie calling all of us names. That’s not fair. A few bad apples has to spoil it all for us I guess. Anyway, great article Jennifer.

Hi! I was born in 1976 and don’t identify at all with the standard stereotype of Generation X. I can’t remember the Cold War or the 1980s beyond toys and Disney Films. Politics or adult pop culture did not interest me as a child at all and anything in that regard feels hazy and surreal to me. I didn’t watch John Hughes films until I was in my 20s and 30s and I don’t really get them, to be honest. Additionally, I was not a latchkey kid and the experiences my friends and I had completely differ from the standard stereotype. My parents were afraid of child killers and crime – I was never allowed to be unsupervised away from our property without an adult. The friends I had where both parents worked would go home with those that had an adult present. Children who were unsupervised were considered questionable, possibly from unstable homes. I was also exposed to the internet in my teens and never had to think about adult life without it. I recall some of the old technology, like my Jem and the Holograms tapes, VCRs and Walkmans, but at this point, it’s synonymous with childhood, toys and He-Man cartoons. My highest level of identification to other birth years tends to range from 1974 to 1989ish. Anyone born before this time frame has too much investment in the 1980s to make much sense to me on a nostalgic level. All we have in common as youths is ….. grunge? And Kurt Cobain died just before I started going to concerts. Politically the post 9/11 environment is much closer to home for me than the Cold War, since the main theme Middle East has been around since the start of my youth in the early 90s. One of the reasons Generation X is such a difficult concept to sell is because of the stark differences between both halves of the spectrum. If you can even call it halves. Some definitions leave Gen X with only 17 years, 3 years shy of the usual 20 year interval. When younger Gen Xers are proud of being Generation X, they aren’t mentally including anyone born in 1965 or 1970 except Kurt Cobain – many of the post ’75 Xers are in it for the ’90s culture, happy to have been part (even if just as a distant fan) of the grunge era. But they are forgetting the whole previous chapter on ’80s pop culture, including an entirely different political era. Vague childhood memories aside, you cannot compare the way a 16 year old would have processed the year 1985 to the way a 9 year old did, regardless of how much mommy, daddy or big sibling tried to teach them. Ordinarily it wouldn’t be such a big deal, certainly not cause for a generational divide, IF things had stayed the same in the ’90s. But they didn’t. My youth in 1995 was nothing like youth in 1985, technologically, politically or culturally. I personally feel alienated by the fact that most of the ’80s born kids, the very kids that are more like me than anyone born in 1966, have been cut from the list. As a result, I resent the fact that Generation X stereotypes are more geared towards people born in the ’60s or early ’70s than to us. It is like someone is trying to turn us into someone we are not. I have the feeling that late ’50s – 1973ish is more like a generation than we are. They were all too young for the Vietnam War/hippy era, often had hippy parents and experienced some stage of their youth in the ’80s. At most gatherings, this is the demographic that I see sharing the same “remember whens” – the rest of us just sit there, shrug and say “grunge”? and realize how unimportant it actually is for defining a generation.

Thank you for your comment, Martin. It’s post worth, and I would like to publish it was such. It deserves a broader reach than just the comment section.

The study you suggested would be a fascinating one. I have never considered such a comparison — Xers from countries involved in World Wars and those not. I wonder if anything has been written on this top already.

It’s interesting to me that we talk so much about the global economy and the global village and how these things impact Millennials in terms of reaching across oceans to develop connections and relationships. But, as the world shrinks, I’m starting to see a broader narrative of Generation X coming into view. We all have so much in common — whether in Austria or the United States. It really underscores generational theory as put forth by Strauss and Howe and the Fourth Turning. If you have not read that book or 13th Gen by the same authors, you might enjoy it.

Thank you for stopping by. I will repost your comment as a post later today. I enjoyed reading it so much.

Hi! Thanks for the reply. I’ll certainly look into those books. And thanks for sharing my thoughts, it’s a mighty strange experience to read my thoughts on a blog, but I feel honoured by your interest in them. Take care!

Martin, Great post, and a fine addition to the amazing conversation that Jen has conducted on these pages. Hats off to you all. Your post has got me thinking, you know what maybe all along the Boomers werent neglecting us Xers…but instead, having gone through the post war era, and, like you said, focusing on the here and now, maybe it was a case that they, urged on by their war-haunted silent/greatest parents, (our grandparents) were simply letting us be, the baby Xers, a generation born into peace and prosperity… let them be kids, let them play out all day long, leave them to explore this safe prosperous world that we never had… maybe that was the thinking, maybe we had it lucky after all…

I’m sick and tired of you American Gen Xer morons blaming the Boomers for ruining the world. You fools didn’t live in the early 1960’s so you don’t have a clue what it was like. Because of Boomer protests, to end the draft, you fools never knew the fear of being drafted and sent to fight in a war halfway around the world to support the Military Industrial Complex. At eighteen years of age your biggest decision was what brand of beer are you going to take to the beach? Ours was what branch of the service do you want join and die with? So instead of thanking us you hate us.

So why does Generation X hate boomers? The answer is simple, it’s because Tom Brokaw didn’t write a book about your generation. Brokaw’s first book (The Great Ass Generation) was a fictional story about how the USA won WW2. Anybody with a brain, and some knowledge of real history, knows that the USSR won WW2. They defeated Nazi Germany and Japan surrendered when the USSR declared war on them in1945. For every 10 Germans killed, 8 were killed on the Eastern front by the Soviets. Because of the cold war all we ever heard, in this country, was about the D-day invasion. During the cold war you didn’t hear about the 1941 successful defense of Moscow, the victory at Stalingrad, the battle of Kursh and the defeat of Berlin to name a few. If you want real history then read something written by Howard Zinn not that Jackass Brokaw

Brokaw’s second book BOOM was about the Boomers and social change in the 1960’s. Brokaw didn’t know what it was like to be a Boomer because he was too young for Korea and a bit too old for Vietnam so his eighteenth birthday wasn’t a death sentence. Maybe Brokaw needs to write a book about Generation X and then your generation won’t hate Boomers anymore. I have a great Title suggestion: Generation X the story of the tattoo infested, pierced scumbags who are stupid, clueless and somewhat IQ less.

I think you deserve to be heard and I’m glad to give you that space on this blog. Having worked for the government my entire career and served under many Vietnam veterans, I agree with you. Gen-Xers never, ever knew the pain of the draft, getting killed in Southeast Asia – or having your buddies killed. I have always tempered my own criticism of Boomers by the realities of Vietnam as portrayed in books and movies. On a personal note, friend, what your generation did in Vietnam built little Saigons all across America. We have one right here in OKC. They finally raised enough money to fund military park and a statue of American soldiers saving them that fateful day in 1974. What our boys did was heroic. My kids go to school with second generation Vietnamese. They are the grandkids of the people you saved. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I could say more in defense of my generation, but that is for another day. The impact of Vietnam on the Boomer psyche was significant. How could anyone ever get over that war? Love and Peace, jennifer

I’m X-Gener born in 77 and recently got interested in all this Boomers/Gen-X/Millenials topic, probably reflecting on my past, as myself and my friends are all in early-mid 40ties and we often discuss among the “how to get a mortgage” the topics of relationship with parents (aka Boomers) and young people at workplace (aka Millenials).

What surprised me was the founding that the term “latchkey generation” is widely applicable to me and my friends! But I’m from USSR, immigrated to Europe short after leaving the college and my friends are in similar positions from different countries of Europe! The Soviet childhood and Boomer parents seems to be not much different from US childhood and parents these days, from what I read! Personally, I consider myself lucky to have grandparents waiting me in the house after school, but I still wore a key on the latch on my neck and so all my school friends (majority of them were not lucky to have grandparents waiting them at home).

Now myself and my friends are reflecting on our childhoods, we find a lot of similarities. Let me see if you or other readers will find similarities with their X-gen childhood:

– You would be totally responsible to go to school in the morning and being at home by X o’clock to answer the “control phone call”. If any problem occurred in between ( you got stopped/beaten by bad guys asking money from you, you missed the bus to school, you forgot you homework etc etc) – it would be *your* problem and all “help” you could possible get from your parents would be either some generic advice (“you need to stand up and defend yourself”) or some kick in the a** (“next time you forget your homework, Im going to …”). But no actual help. No parents would consider to go walk me to school, take care of bullies, or move me to school closer to the house.

– Later, when you turned 12-13 you would suppose to cook dinner for the whole family and clean the house. If you had younger brothers/sisters you would have to take full care of them too. Until parents will come back (usually 7-8pm). There was no Internet to ask and majority of houses had a gas cookers.

– You would have to go to afterschool activities all by yourself. Your parents would not care if you like it or not, if they decided that you need to take piano lessons 3 times a week at another end of your town, you had to go there and take them. And be bloody successful, otherwise.. My wife in her 10 had to go to violin classes in the dark and snow (imagine Siberia winter?) to another end of the city, but in fact what she wanted was art classes or dance. Nobody asked as what we wanted to do. If we wanted to do something we either had to do it secretly (for example, my friend was sneaking to karate classes secretly in hope someday to take care of the bullies, after his piano lessons, for the money he was saving from lunches.. typical..)

– If there is any competition on anything – you had to participate and win. Otherwise…

– We was restricted on everything. You want ice-cream? Did you deserved it? Show me your school diary first? Do you know that you only can have ice creams on Saturdays? (and the ice cream cost was equivalent of 20 cent today.. can you explain it?) The biggest dream of a teenager was to have a bicycle. Then later on – Walkman. Later on – TV video game. But majority of us worked its own money to buy Walkman and TV video game. In terms of the bicycle and other toys – it was easier to build your own toy and/or bicycle from old junk than beg your parents to buy it. My school friend, who became HW engineer later, built his own ZX Spectrum, when he was 13-14! .. It was easier, because the answer to anything was “we have no money” or “you cant have that”. No explanation.

– We was on the street majority of the time. Street defined everything. Only real achievements matter. You could not bu**it everyone by saying that you are boxing champion, dance master or great singer. Show it. Prove it. Can’t play Scorpions hit on the guitar? Sorry, no women for you bro 😉 But if you do so, you deserve respect. If you just blahblah – no one will ever talk or play or mingle with you again (or you even can be beaten). There was a term for this “to be able to prove your words” (should be English equivalent to this?). Think that resulted very little number of bul***ters, liars and “trumpeters” in our generation. Ever. If I say I do it – I do it. I won’t write 1000 words blog post about it or tell everyone how great I am. I just do it. Same goes for my friends and people of my generation.

To summarize on the X-gen childhood – I must admit that our parents, Boomers, was *the worst* parents you would ever imagine. Yes, I can “prove for my words” (see above). Our parents gave very little direction to us. After all these years (as I have 2 children myself) I can acknowledge that. Our parents were selfish, thinking only about there ambition, didn’t wanted us and didn’t loved us. F**ng narcissists, hoping to fulfill their dreams by using us. And now, they pretend do not understand why we hate them as we grow older in the 40ties. In the cheap Soviet society (I cant answer for US, sorry guys), they would not have to pay for any single thing that we have to pay for now as X-geners. Childcare – free, medicine – free, schools – free. All the afterschool classes – costs very little (10-20 euro/month modern equivalent) ! All that they have to do in their life is go to work, pretend they work and go back home. Many of them even got houses “for free” from government. And still, yet, they would rather die that spend another 20cent on ice cream if it would be not on Saturday or force their children into something they hated, just to boost their ego. All the free time and money they had they spent on themselves. As example, my friends parents moved from three-bed into one-bed house (but in a better location) and she had to sleep in the kitchen from 13yo till she finished school. There was no room for her. She recently found out that her parents had, in fact, huge savings on bank account after selling that 3 bed bed house.

Now as X-gener, I had to work hard all those years I can remember, pay for every little and not little thing (childcare, school, afterschool classes, medicine), still many of us in mid 40ties do not own a house or have a job in senior management (thanks to Boomers). Honestly, I feel quite tired and exhausted from that life race, as me my friends, and my wife had actually very little time dedicated to ourselves in our lifes. Priority of taking care of others and self-sacrifice is the main thing of our generation. On one hand we had to take care of Boomers as they old now (and you have to take care of old people, aren’t you?) and then Millenials as they are still bunch of narcissistic infantils. Will this ever over?

I feel that our generation has been cheated and robbed. In fact, I find very little commonalities with my parents and Millenials. Its like all our purpose is to be a servants on their party. Strangely enough, I found a lot in common with G.I. generation, aka my grandparents. To whom I speak, tell me about good connection with grandpa/grandma too. They were always there to listen and help if they could. At least for my case. They also had a robbed childhood because of war and had a time and patience to tell and teach us anything.

To summarize – I’m very happy to find out that I’m not alone in my reflections. Yes, we, X-geners, may be little in numbers, but we can stand for ourselves. As the Boomers fading out every day, think we have a great chance and opportunity to fix the mess that they left. Who else if not us? We got used to clean up messes, aren’t we? 🙂 And, most important, to make sure that our children will never be “latchkey” generation.

I wish I understood history better so I could speak more intelligently to your comment. It is fascinating and warmly received. Thank you for taking the time to write it all down and share. I would like to publish the comment as a blog post so others can receive it more readily than they will in this section of the blog. So many things you’ve written here mirror the Gen X experience in the U.S. During those year of growing up in the Cold War, I thought a lot about all of you. The Russians, our enemies. I never felt like any child my age anywhere was my enemy. I somehow felt we were all in this together, and now with globalism and the Global village I wasn’t far off the mark, although who knows if that economic system will ever work and isn’t completely utopic.

Anyway, look for your comment to appear in a blog post. I have collected as many pictures of Russian children from the Gen X childhood years as I could find. I will intersperse some of them among your comments. I hope it’s OK.

And, we are not alone. Chloe, a guest poster and friend, just wrote about that in a recent post this month. Your comment makes me feel less alone. God bless you and yours.

X’ers can be the next great generation. We see beyond ourselves. We can mold our children into patriots, we can help our fellow man volunteering, we effect change with our honest interpretations of institutions. Some call us cynical, I think of myself as more of a critical thinker. No face value always questioning motivations, taking people’s words with a grain of salt and seeing people only by the content of their character or their actions. We are smart and not easily fooled by globalist new world order propaganda and expect integrity from those around us. We are self reliant and are irritated by institutions trying to control people’s lives. We embrace freedom, and spurn selfishness. As a Gen Xer I am a veteran, a volunteer Fire fighter, a law enforcement officer a business man and a father. I am a force of nature, Hell on wheels. A warrior for my ideals. Can’t think of a better combination of traits. The world needs to see how great we are even if just those around us that each of us know.

I love your spirit and this is a beautiful declaration. I do hope I can mold my children into patriots. I loved that part. Also, “globalist news world order propaganda.” Phooey on that, right! Hats off for your work as a volunteer firefighter. I have some peripheral involvement with the need to recruit more rural volunteer firefighters. We’re losing a generation of them, I understand, as the Millennials are not signing up to participate. Any thoughts on that, Workhorse?

Workhorse, Gen X grew up in a certain fashion, so to speak, we all knew it no one ever spoke of it or ever will, and that there is why Gen X will never be known. You defiantly have the right outlet in mind. Just do it.

I’m a UK Gen X’er and a latchkey kid. But I don’t know how typical of my generation I am.

I’m 47 now (born in 1970).

I work, and I work bloody hard, but I never miss an opportunity to slack off whereas my older and younger colleagues keep ploughing on. They get no more recognition than me. So what’s the point? At 5 pm I’m gone in a cloud of dust and I don’t think about work until 9 am tomorrow. Or Monday. Yet again older and younger colleagues never seem to switch off. I’m definitely of the work to live school of thought. I was bought up on Atari, Nintendo and MTV. I was more interested in TV than homework and the thing I find mind boggling now is that in summer holidays we, my friends and I, would leave home on our pushbikes at 9am and not go home until 6pm for our tea. No one knew where we were or what trouble we were getting into. No one was at home anyway as the olds were working! Now your phone knows exactly where you are all the time and through the joy of social media everyone else knows where you are as well. I wouldn’t want to be a child today. I like the fact I lived in the past and am now enjoying the future. But at 47, divorced, with 3 children (who I used to overparent but now let them do their own thing and make their own paths whether right or wrong) I still feel a bit lost. My parents were successful and always worked and I was pretty much left to my own devices. I bumbled through my teens and made stupid and rash decisions in my early 20’s. And I seem to have just stuck there ever since. I’ll never own my home, afford a brand new car or get married again, I’ll probably never bother with another relationship as I’m too selfish with my time. I have enough money to get by, compared to my baby boomer parents who are comfortably wealthy, and don’t feel jealous of their situation or am waiting on an inheritance, but it’s only now they can finally tell me they’re proud of me because I think they realised I’ve peaked. I haven’t peaked at work or financially (that’ll never happen, not enough drive) but I’ve peaked in the fact that I’ve learned to live with myself and am happy living in my shell.

Do I miss the 70’s and 80’s? Yes. Terribly. But I can relive them through the magic of YouTube. So it’s not all bad.

Thank you for sharing your story with me. I enjoyed reading it – twice! Especially pushbikes and “home until 6 pm for our tea.” I love to hear from Gen-Xers who grew up across the pond and realize their experiences were much like my own. Godspeed to you. I miss the 80s, too. And, the 70s, when my sisters were tan and young and beautiful – wearing bikinis on the beach. It all went by so fast and you know, I’m starting to forget the good stuff. Thank you for stopping by.

I like to tell stories, they’re an important part of our culture. I work mainly in care homes which specialise in dementia and brain damage. Most of my “people” are in their 70’s and up (one lady I see has just tipped 100!) and they usually have no family which is where I come in. I always say it’s like having loads of grand parents. I love their stories, most of them won the second world war single handed, and find it a crying shame that once they’re gone their stories will disappear with them. I pass these stories, and mine, onto my kids and my parents are always telling my kids stories which they love. I think they like the ones where I was getting up to some mischief or other. Dad wasn’t always “old” and did have a childhood too. I recently read an article on how Gen X men are dying in their droves but I can’t remember the reason now or where I read it. But I do empathise with them/us. I had 3 failed suicide attempts over the years (never managed to get that right!) and I could have quite easily been part of that statistic. I’m glad I’m not. As I said earlier it’s more about realising your faults and weaknesses and overcoming them somehow. I am who I am. I’m not going to change now and I don’t want to. It’s finding the balance whichever way it swings. I like my “averageness” verging on bone idle (lol) and my upbringing has a lot to do with it. Nature over nurture, a bit of both. I do think my millennial kids are missing out as all most of them do is sit in front of a screen of some description.

Well, I’m so thankful you failed to take your own life, because it now seems you have been given a rare opportunity to not only care take people in their elder years, but to care-take their stories. Maybe you could write them down. They’d make quite a journal. All these firsthand accounts are dying. The same can be said of all generations, I suppose.

In all my years of blogging, reading, writing, etc., I’ve never come across anyone who admits to their “averageness” like you. There is a hint of sadness and humor in it, but it is also not average to admit you are only average and so you see, in your honesty you are exceptional! =) I’m average, too, Jon. Painfully so.

I have found the best description of our generation to be those born betweeb 1963/64 and graduated high school before 9/11….so I guess 1982/83? That seems to make sense to me. My husband has more in common with me (he WAS born in ’82 and I, ’75) and close friends my age (’74-’78)than his sister who was born in 1990. Great article.

Late 1962 “Atari” Xer here. Parents were Silents who wished they’d been born a few years later – wanna be Boomers. That minor detail did not stop them. Early childhood memories of grown ups late at night laughing in the living room, guitars strumming, the smell of weed. All of that had its pluses and minuses. My folks were very good about exposing us to science, cultural awareness, the color blind PoV, etc. Nonetheless, they were dual income from the time I could watch my brother. Yes, I had a key I wore on home made necklace. So far, outcome is decent but unless I win the lottery or end up going through a late career IPO, it’s now becoming nearly mathematically impossible for me to outdo my parents on the financial front. Knock on wood no major health issues approaching the double nickel.

The double nickel! My dad, a Silent, always said that. LOL. I loved reading your brief history. Did you keep the homemade latchkey necklace. A cultural treasure for all of Gen Xers! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note.

Wow….1986? Honestly, while I don’t really think someone born in the mid 80’s is an X’er, I definitely can say that older millennials arw WAY more chill than younger millennials and have more to share with younger Xers lol!

Wow. Awesome article Jennifer. I’m Jan 73 but with parents born in the early 1930’s, mom had me at 40, an only. I identify with the Great Generation and was largely tutored by my grandmother born in 1906, the only one I knew, the others were born in the 1880’s and died just before I was born. So there are some of us that don’t relate to Boomer’s or Xgen at all and have the ethics/morals of our grandparents born well before WWI and highly influenced by the Great Depression. Heck, one of my great grandfathers fought in the Civil War. I only understand do or don’t do and you will be judged.

So, I look on all this nonsense as just that, nonsense and have a very different perspective most now don’t understand, especially the Boomers, simply put, that of utter frivolity and lack of ethical and moral fiber. Very frankly, I don’t think this world will see another generation beyond GenZ. The complete breakdown in what is right and what is wrong is overwhelming. I fear a very violent end to all this, it’s happened with empires throughout the ages over and over, but this time it’s really the end. Hope I’m dead when it happens, but I don’t think so. Folk of my ilk don’t give a flying crap about “feelings” or any other pansy whim of the current age or what somebody’s “opinion is”, we don’t have a problem being “racist” for a good reason, we hate abrasive “cultures” and have no problem saying “Nuke the hell out of them, better yet carpet bomb them to extermination”. We think LGBT need to be outlawed, executed and expunged from the history of humankind for the vast evil they have recently been allowed to do to humankind. We are Nationalists that are resurging and will end up probably ending this world. Good riddance. I am from the GenX who didn’t have kids on purpose, but now we run everything and realize it’s all too late to fix it and it’s all coming to an end quite soon. That’s why GenX was really called that, it’s not a ohh to the future, it’s an ohh this is the end, Xgen like me are, in fact, running things now and we’ve had it. We will fix it or burn it, get ready for the fight.

I realize this is harsh, but it is, right now. I miss the days of “Happy Days” and “The Brady Bunch” and “Leave it to Beaver”, what happened to decent and normal and deterrence of lawbreakers, called public hangings?

Actually Gen X was only twenty year of age when they got the prison systems to quietly allow for voluntary euthanasia. Unfortunately the Baby Boomers took offices and jobs and ended it all. Claiming they were Christians. Not everyone is and I feel it was a violation of their civil rights. In fact I would venture the guess, NONE of the prison system is Christian. Moral of the story, don;t name your kid obama.

I was born in 1967. This article hits the nail on the head. What I like is that it gives reasons for our behavior. I had two parents, but did not see them from 6:30am until 6pm. Growing up in Texas, I can remember shooting bb guns in the neighborhood at 7 years old. Riding bikes all over town alone. Hunting alone at 12. Leaving campus in Junior High to by snuff and cigarettes. I don’t remember school shootings, but I remember guns in the gun racks of pickups in the high school parking lot. I don’t know how I got to 18 without having kids or ending up dead.

I think generations alternate. My dad served in WWII. He and my mother grew up in the Great Depression. They had a big sense of hard work. My older sister was a baby boomer who was out of the house by the time I was 4. On one hand, I saw a nose to the grindstone attitude and on the other an entitled attitude. It seems the Greatest Generation wanted to protect the boomers from the evil they saw, and the Boomers wanted to be part of the collective and discounted those “old people.” Gen x was left to themselves and seem to more closely resemble the Greatest Generation with a FIERCE independence. Millennials seem to want collectivism again. That being said, I think they all want the same things, they just differ on how to get there.

I know today I struggle with over protecting my kids and letting them make their own mistakes. I want them to be independent. Not lemmings. I think that is one thing that bothered me about the baby boomers. They fought “the man” for the sake of fighting “the man.” I guess rebellion for rebellion’s sake. I would like to think I put more thought into it. I am fiercely independent. But, I try to justify it with reason. Well, that sounded preachy.

Anyway, it’s been since high school since I felt this kind of empathy. Thanks for the article!

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences. I read every word with great interest. I have not met many Xers born in 1967 with parents who fought in WW II. That is very rare. Most of us have Silent or Boomer parents. I, too, remember, kids sneaking off in junior high to buy cigarettes and all the boys had the Skoal ring fade on their back pockets. I also remember the gun racks in pickups. Guns on campuses. Who knew?

I’m glad you felt some catharsis reading the article. We have come a long way, and hopefully have a couple more decades of good life to live. Bless you on the journey, and I hope you’ll visit again.

I here you! I was also born in 1967 and my dad was in WWII. He was born in 1925 and was in the South Pacific during the last two years of the war and another year after it was over. My grandparents were also born in the 1800’s. I only knew one of them but it gave me a somewhat different perspective on some things than others whose parents were younger but for the most part I also fit the Gen X’er mold very well. Def Leopard and REO Speedwagon are coming to town. So guess where I’ll be.

Hey Matt – Heard it from a friend, who, heard it from a friend, who, heard it from another you’ve been messing around. Enjoy REO Speedwagon. I’m jealous. =) My paternal grandparents were born in 1881 and 1898. Wow!

I’ve been on edge lately. You know how it is today, we have young kids and we’re working constantly both with our jobs and on our homes and kids. And then trying to find time to enjoy life. So, when I read and hear things that are somewhat upsetting, I’m getting WAY more upset. One of those things is the current climate of rage between Boomers and Millennials. We’re sitting here in the middle watching the Boomers group us up with the Millennials and the Millennials just completely overlooking us. At least for me, because I sit right on the cusp, volleyed back and forth between generations the way a child is either “your” child or “mine”, depending on how the child is behaving at the time. I don’t have time for this BS these two generations are spouting at each other all day – I’ve got a living to make while you guys argue who is more ego-driven and selfish. I’ll tell you who wins that argument…both.

I have felt for quite some time that Gen X is full of self-deprecating attitudes and cynicism in large part because our parents brow beat us over our horrible work ethic and attitudes. It’s like they’re mad over the child labor laws. We didn’t contribute to the household at the age of 7. Well, neither did you. Sorry, but that was grandpa – not you. How could our generation have any self-esteem? I’ve always thought of us as the “depression” generation because we’ve suffered so much of it. Hell, depression actually got POPULAR. That’s pretty messed up. But when we talked to our parents/elders about it, in large part we were dismissed and called whiny crybabies. We weren’t raised by the most compassionate of generations.

We could really turn things around, our generation. It would help if we weren’t so overburdened by financial problems, caused in large part by our parents’ generation. I feel frustrated by it. I’m sure many of us do. And this isn’t that I despise the Boomers…I’m actually consciously trying very hard to NOT single out and hate an entire generation, especially since there are a lot of people in that generation whom I love for the very fact that they’re incredibly kind, compassionate, and generous. I don’t want to be like THEM, on the whole. But, I’m beyond frustrated. I hear it in the workplace so much, too. I always have. To hear people my parents’ age and older trash talking my generation TO ME about how lazy we are. All this while I’m working circles around them and even helping those individuals do their jobs. How dare they? How dare you rely on someone only to spit on them while they do it? It just baffles me! I manage several teams in my work and the very best team I have is the only one comprised solely of Millennials. And they are the absolute hardest working people I have with me. Best people I’ve worked with in 20 years. They’re not ALL lazy…you know, just like we Gen X’ers weren’t all lazy, either.

To me, the previous generation has put so much emphasis on respect that they forgot what respect truly is. They feel respect is based on age and is earned, but respect should be given freely and by default. Because we are all human beings. We all struggle. And we all just want to be happy, damn it. And here I sit, feeling guilty over this tirade. I feel like we’ve been so jaded that we became incredibly empathetic. And now we’re horribly jaded again through our empathy.

1.”I’ve got a living to make while you guys argue who is more ego-driven and selfish.” Loved this statement. I’m worn slick by big egos. I am starting to get really good at ignoring people. I refuse to be in that tug of war.

Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed your comment very much. I feel jaded, too, but as my kids and mother get older (my dad is already passed), I feel that being jaded is indulgent. Life is short. I hope to be content with whatever days I have left. That’s my prayer of late. Blessings…jen

You hit Gen X …I was born March 21 1970 The way I was raised the way I grew up til now. Even now at my age I still have the need to work hard …My children are all grown and I still over parent..Now it’s with advice..Being Gen X has made me independent, hard working, protective with my children and grandson , my husband,. and my siblings..If told I can’t do it , I learn it.Never took what I wanted , I worked hard to get it..

You’re in the sweet spot of Gen X, Tammie! 1970!! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note. I hear so many of the same things from other Xers — especially the part about being independent and working for what you have. Please come back and visit often!

I would be interested in your view on the comparison between the GenX and the Indigo children. Hi. I just came across your article this evening while I searched on google about Generation X, my generation. I appreciated your title as well, perfectly understood. It’s nice to finally read the true traits of gen x in your article. Please email me if you like with your understandings of the two types indigo and gen x. I’ve already searched indigo on wiki. There’s a list of characteristics that sounds like us gen x people, but the rest of the indigo claims on wiki I’m not sure of. I would be interested in your thoughts too after this reading. Thank you ~ x

Fascinating. I will find out and let you know what I think. Indigo children – that reference sounds vaguely familiar, but I know nothing about it. It seems like I read it in reference to Aussies or New Zealanders. I will find out and write back soon. jen

I can relate to alot of the Gen X stuff ( was born 7th Sept 1971, one day before famous Gen Xer David Arquette!) and although I was born in Australia, by the 1980’s our country was more “global” and followed a similar pattern to the US. We played computer games, watched MTV and had a global recession similar to the one in the States. In the early 90’s I didn’t follow the Grunge movement, I instead got caught up in the first seventies revival that was happening at the time (similar to the character Janeane Garafolo played on Reality Bites). Funnily enough I’m still a bit ‘stuck” in the seventies as I am nostalgic for the simpler times of my childhood- my vinyl albums, TV shows like Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, Policewoman and Fantasy Island and playing with the neighbourhood kids in our backyards!

Very informative article! I’m a late Gen Xer, born in early 1978 and it drives me nuts whenever I see one or two sources trying to identify me as a Millenial/Gen Yer (are they the same thing?). I don’t identify with that group at all. I found myself nodding along to most of the things here. Though I was lucky my parents remained together and had a good relationship when I was a kid (and still do to this day), quite a few of my friends in elementary school were latchkey kids from single parent households.

Very interesting article, thanks! I’m an 80 baby, and I’ve always identified with Gen X- I seemed to have more in common with people born in the late 60s and 70s than I did with people born a few years after me. As I’ve gotten older (as well all have, actually) I find the distinctions to be a bit less noticeable, and I’m sure some of that has to do with becoming a mother.

What I found most interesting is the explanation on why Gen X was/is the way it is regarding parenting; my husband and I have had multiple conversations about why children are the way they are now- why their parents do as they do (helicopter), and I’ve always been under the impression it has something to do with the breakdown of the family unit- that Gen Xers were the first to really experience divorce, single-parenthood and latchkey seems to give a better explanation, and I look forward to reading about it more. It’s interesting also, to note that because of this ‘hands off’ childhood/upbringing, that Gen X parents are hyper-aware and involved in every aspect of their children’s lives. Parental involvement is a good thing, especially in education ( I firmly believe parents are the primary educators) but the there is also too much of a good thing. Kids do need to be kids, and they need a certain amount of freedom and independence to make their own mistakes and learn from them. My husband and I break the gen X mold in that we are big believers in what’s come to be dubbed as “free-range parenting”. I want my children to feel confident in their ability to know what to do in a variety of situations, whether it’s being lost or being in a conflict with a neighborhood kid. I want them to be aware of the world around them and know how to navigate it without being afraid of it. I want them to understand that life isn’t fair, and that’s ok. Maybe we feel that way because we both grew up like that, and our parents marriages are still intact, 35-40 years later. Maybe we were just fortunate to have a good balance.

I think I feel those lack of distinctions, too. Sometimes, it feels like because of social media and the financial crisis, Generations X, Y and Z have more in common than previous generations, one to another. That reminds me of something I read about Gen Y calling Generation X “The Olds.” Like, we’re just like them only old. A la, The Olds. That hurt. LOL! Regarding over-parenting, I definitely think it’s the byproduct of being under-protected in parenting. I love the concept or philosophy of free-range parenting. I’ve been trying to apply some of the principles, especially with my son, because I know he translates helicopter parenting as a lack of trust in him. That’s damaging to his self-esteem. I wonder if the free-range movement is galvanized by the healthier Gen-Xer. Some of my friends came from very stable homes and their parenting styles are more free-range. Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a great comment!

“But, I don’t see how a generation can only be 15 or 12 years in length. Childhood and youth comprise 18 years of our lives.” A “generation” in this sense isn’t about how long it takes to grow up. It is designated by the next big round of technological advances. That is why Gen X is only 12-15 years long and Baby Boomers spans a longer time frame.

Hi, As a mid-to late Gen X’r, I consider my self hopeful so I vote, an over protective parent but I give my children 2 or 3 choices to learn to make decisions on their own, to always respect authority and be respectful, to not be afraid to ask questions. Eventhough marketing labels us and people may call us names, we are one of the most educated and diversified bunch who knows what to do without being told how step by step. When I saw the message on taking care of disabled parents and children, this is so true in a different view, The workforce, there are disabled workers boomers about to retire and millenials comming to the workforce expecting coddling(almost considered a disability) from an HR perspective and point of view, it’s like you almost need the extended childcare for these millenials coming to the workplace, expecting full accommodations and time to rest, things are changing in the working world with millenials coming to the workforce and boomers leaving. I read an article that says that Gen X’rs are recognized by Y Gen as being more qualified acceptable managers and that they would rather have a Gen X be their manager. Boomers can no longer keep the corporate management world for long and Y Gen is too young and not so mature to take care of business right away, I see great opportunities coming our way in many years to come for our Generation and now we can finally stop playing catchup!

This gives us the chance to mold them completely. Ethics Ethics Ethics! The BB’s will be gone, it is literally our game to create and play. Let’s take it. As for Gen Y they were not allowed to do anything without permission and they are waiting for directions. And remind them, I would have had to figure out how to work the system complain to companies about flaws and wait 10 minutes for the computer to turn on. Your living the dream. Always positive attitude.

Mmm, hello, I can relate to what you’re saying, and I truly think you have nailed the earlier timeline, that is 1961 for the beginning of this generation X. This generation is slightly after mine, I was born in 1955, and as I get older I can sense that timeline up to 1960, being my generation, and those after that year a vastly different breed, not trusting in God or government, largely, predominately, a hedonistic introverted, self-serving bunch that interestingly enough, seem to know exactly who they are, and prefer to couple with their own generation, and definitely prefer to stay clear of anything baby boomer. Thanks, we dont need your trash!

Jen, that “trash” comment raised my eyebrows as well. In fact, the entire post made me chuckle a bit. My husband, born in 1947, is an older Boomer than the writer, and yet given his distrust of both religion and government (who on earth actually “trusts” politicians?) and marriage to an early Gen Xer would, I suppose, make him “trash” in her eyes as well.

Sometimes you just have to shake you head at some people’s myopic “silliness” (I would use a stronger term, but thought I would keep this “g” rated).

Last year I was introduced to Strauss and Howe’s seminal work Generations and read it voraciously as well as their Fourth turning and 13th gen. It was like a homecoming for me, in that I finally could connect. I am a 1962 Gen Xer that NEVER fit into the boomer group. I never did LSD, or went to a rock concert, or protested the war. I grew up latch key, with a Silent generation mom, greatest generation DAD (WW2 decorated alcoholic). Left home at 17, went to college, wouldn’t have called working 2-3 jobs at a time a slacker, as well as teaching myself music. But have seen how even as we work very hard, as a cohort we have struggled the most financially. With that said, I feel blessed to live in a country of such opulence and opportunity, so even if I didn’t make a million in the stock market, I can take care of myself whatever happens, including the possible loss of Social Security, which once again means we are supporting the retiring Boomers. Being a Gen Xer means being a survivalist, and I believe I am due to our collective upbringing. I foster a 13 yof and see how the needs of the next generation take precedent, since they do need a better skill set than what was left to us. It’s as S&H predicted, we would sacrifice our gain for the youth. Thanks for your blog.

Thank you, Ardy. First of all – how wonderful that you foster a 13-year-old. The world needs more people willing to do that.

I’ve been reading a lot about a current push in Congress to kill off more and more of Social Security. I think the first-wave Xers like you (and me) are OK, but the late wave Xers are in trouble.

Over the years, I have heard so many first-wave Xers express relief over being categorized as Generation X – or even as a previous commenter said – Generation Jones. Like you’ve pointed out – your personal life experiences are far more reflective of the collective Gen X persona. I really cherish that last line in your comment about sacrifice our gain for the youth. This is what it’s all about for me anymore…especially as I stare down the nose of 50 and my friends start to get diagnosed with a myriad of illnesses. Time stops for no one. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a note. –jen

I think much of this depends entirely on when you were born during the wide span people term “Generation X” and also where you grew up. I was born at the beginning to parents who were not “Boomers” but members of the “Silent Generation” (both born in the 1930s). I did not know a single person whose parents were divorced until I was well into High School, and yes, upperclassmen in my (Catholic, no less) High School were allowed to smoke on campus.

I find myself generally having very little in common with those who are defined as “my generation” and far more in common with “Boomers” (in general).

That is wild about being able to smoke at your Catholic high school. I agree with everything you said. It is all very relative to an individual’s life experience, geography and definitely when parents are born. Thanks, Lisa, for stopping by and leaving a note.

I stumbled across this webpage kind of by accident. I saw an article on “hipsters” and started looking up my own generation.

I was born in 1971 and when I started reading this whole thing about latch key kids, neglect and rampant sexual abuse. It struck a real cord in me and made me understand something about myself as a parent. I read a bunch of the articles about Gen X parents and when I got to the one written to educators and administrators, I laughed because I am very much of a “stealth parent” in regards to my son’s education.

I’m a funny mix though because my “attack mode” has never been specifically about “consumer outcome” as much as it has embodied morals and ethics of my predeceasing generation. My parents weren’t baby boomers though; they were “furlough” kids. (Born during WWII) Most of what “rattles my cage” has specifically to do with how my son is treated, not necessarily if he’s getting “the best opportunities”. So here is where I’m half X and half boomer. My son is in a special education program. He’s autistic and has epilepsy.

And here is the one factor I think you miss though in regards to X-ers and the public education system. Yes, we are very much “the sandwich generation”. We are sandwiched between ageing parents and raising children; but in much higher percentiles than any other generation, we are sandwiched between disabled parents and disabled children. The presence of Autism exploded in the late 80’s and early 90’s. There were a lot of factors to this; which makes us the generation per-capita that has more disabled children than any one before us. It’s estimated that 1 in 150 kids fall on the Autism spectrum today. That’s a huge strain on the educational system and it’s a huge strain on us as parents.

So here is the other side of the same coin. The parents that are pushing to make their kids “turn out successful” and those of us who are simply fighting to keep our kids from having to live in group homes when they grow up. When that reality hits you, you have to learn to dream a different dream.

Renee, Thanks for sharing your insights. I’ve never heard that term furlough kids before today. I like it and think it’s so accurate. What you’ve written here about Generation X sandwiched between disabled parents AND disabled children is also unique. In all my years of keeping up with Gen X in the news, I’ve never heard anyone draw that conclusion. It’s something I’d like to put some more time into learning and writing about. I’d like to understand it within the context of Generation X. You have such great writing skills. I’d love to hear or read more…

Jennifer, I found your page while researching for a script I’m working on. Thanks for the great info. I was wondering if maybe we went to the same high school…it has to do with your comment on the smokers. My high school had a place for them near a “pit” for water retention. It rains 9 months out of the year and the smokers were called “pond rats”.

Just found this blog post. I’m late Gen X, born 1980. My sister is your age, born 1967. One thing I have noticed, there seems to be a personality split between early and late Xers. It’s probably this way for all generations. To me, late Xers are much more cynical and walled off. Early Xers are more prone to connecting with peers and family, along with other things, like doing volunteer work. The late Xers were “Beavis and Butthead” kids and we were looked at in this manner; as unintelligent brutes who wouldn’t amount to anything.

According to Strauss/Howe, the last cycle of “Xers”, the Lost Generation (1883-1900) fought in WWI and included Mr. Priestly, whose quote is brilliant. This cohort included: Stalin, Hitler, Mao, De Gaulle, Truman.

Yikes.

I do believe Strauss/Howe nailed the birth years on Gen X. It definitely goes through the early ’80s. Besides, a biological generation is around 20 years and to make it shorter is silly. When I mention things like being able to smoke at high school to Millennials, even those born in the mid-80s, they look at me, bug-eyed. Junior High only existed for Xers… Now it’s called Middle School. Internet meant BBS on a 2400 baud modem.

Love your comment. OMG — I never have once thought about how they once let kids smoke at school! There was like a pit behind one of the schools I attended where the kids who smoked gathered. Everyone called them creek rats. Ugh. I’ve always thought the first-wave Xers was more cynical and the mid-to-late wave Xers much more hopeful, but given world events and the economy the reverse seems true. I’m off to find that Priestly quote. If you have it could you post it here? *Middle School* What is that?!?! LOL!

This is so true. US and world Economists have tried to stretch out the Baby Boomer years into the early X years and it is so frustrating. From being treated as the younger peskier siblings to now being included in the older Boomers generation, even though some of us share older parents. Our experiences of the world in the 60’s were not the same as the older Boomers, us being babies, many of them old enough to be our parents. Woo hoo for mini skirts, the pill, hairy hippies and their big sell outs. What’s worse are their bratty kids. Not the same!

While I can understand your animus towards the boomers on some level, I really don’t understand what you have against their ” bratty kids” as you refer to them. Did you ( generation x) enjoy being labeled slackers?

I think that if someone is old enough to have real memories of the 60s (beyond just early childhood-flash type memories), then they are a boomer. Also, I think that if someone has meaningful memories of the 80s, then they are GenX, so I don’t agree with your viewpoint (which seems centered around your own experience). Much of what makes GenX GenX are things that happened in the 80s and 90s, so cutting off 1980 or 1981 doesn’t make sense. If you want to exclude later years from the GenX definition, then “we” need to rewrite what GenX and millennial mean. GenX would need to cut out any references to the 90s and be based on 1970s and 80s events/trends only. Also, most of what defines a millennial is stuff that actually occurred in the new millennium – not stuff that happened during supposed millenials formative years (the 80s and 90s), so the definition of millennial needs to be rewritten as well.

Saying to someone who was in their 20s when cell phone became ubiquitous and mid 20s when social media started “you are a millennial because you were shaped by social media” doesn’t make any more sense than calling a boomer a millennial for the same reason; generational definitions are about your formative – not adult – years. Also, using 9/11 as some sort of measure of a millennial vs. GenX also doesn’t make sense. 9/11 impacted all ages, but that’s another story……..

You have to realize that people born in 1980 and 1981 grew up with record players until they were 7 or 8, didn’t have internet at home until college, still got landlines when they went to college at the end of the 90s, still applied for jobs via fax, started dating before internet dating when you actually had to meet people in person, etc. None of these types of things are “typical millennial.”

Hi Steve – Almost every demographer I’ve ever read includes the early 1960s as the beginning of the birth years for Generation X. Strauss and Howe start the generation at 1961 and the U.S. Department of Social Security at 1964, so my viewpoint is not centered just on my own experience, but on the research of demographers and historians. All current generations are impacted by social media, but none have been shaped by it more than Generation Z. The events that happen during our coming-of-age contribute to the collective persona of a generation. So, while 9/11 impacted me and Boomers and Silents, it had a different impact on children and youth who saw those events unfold.

As a genXer it was easy to become cynical by just watching the news. I’d come home to an empty house and turn on the tube. Both my parents had career jobs. I’ve seen more than my share of terrible events all caused by greed and stupidity, thanks to the Boomer generation. Even in my mid to late 40s I still hold on to the belief that things will get better. One just has to make it happen what ever it takes. Still I do think of the early 90s when I finally went to college and Nirvana and other grunge bands music which reflected the same ideas and issues faced with my generation. Those sweet old days when living outside the material aspect of life was so grand.

Early 90’s music (Pearl Jam, AIC, Nirvana) was everything. They perfectly captured all the angsty, introspective feelings of my college years, also. Such an upgrade from the 80’s hair bands, whom I could not relate to on any level.

I loved your comment about “living a life outside the material aspects of life.” Ahhh, yes. Youth. 🙂

It’s hard to believe a decade – give or take – separates those hair bands from the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. We live through those differences when we are young, but as I grow older I recognize them less and less. It’s like I’m settling into that comfort zone in which I become increasingly irrelevant to younger generations. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

I was born in ’85 yet I somehow feel that I relate more to Gen X than I do with Gen Y. The circumstances regarding my upbringing would have it that Gen Y’s cultural beginnings had yet to start. I vividly remember a lot of the old technology and pop culture, but not quite historical events except for the Clinton Years. Perhaps I am a Gen Y that had lived in a Gen X world. Call it what you will, but I feel distant from the best-known characteristics of Gen Y. I honestly can’t relate. Your typical Millennial wouldn’t know half the stuff I know.

With a week here and there, we can be the greatest generation. We aren’t as blind to the entire world as some in the past, not as idealistic (and ready to throw it out the window for security and greed) as some.

Just found your website tonight as I was googling Generation X, Rv traveling long term. Good to see perspectives from another Gen Xer, great insights 🙂 My wife, Teresa, is the talent behind our travel blog. Cheers, Derek.

These are the Chronicles of Jennifer, more or less.

Hello, I’m Jennifer. Welcome to my blog about faith, family and generations. I’m a happy wife, mother and nana. I’m glad you stopped by today! I was born in East Los Angeles in 1967, and have lived in the Heartland since 1985. I’ve been blogging since 1999, and writing about my life and generation (Generation X, b. 1961-1981) since 2008. Where have you been this whole time?

Jesus is my Lord and Savior. My Very Good Shepherd. “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)